CSN announces 2012 Cubs season on-aironline coverage details

CSN announces 2012 Cubs season on-aironline coverage details

80 Regular Season Games, including exclusive coverage of first home game vs. Boston Red Sox on June 15;
Plus Cubs Pre-Game Live now airing at 6:30 PM prior to EVERY 7:00 PM start time this season;
Exclusive Cubs content 247 on CSNChicago.com, Every Home and Road Game in HD;
Crosstown Classic action vs. White Sox and much more!

Chicago, IL (March 21, 2012) Comcast SportsNet, the television home for the most games and most comprehensive coverage of 2011 MLB All-Star2011 NL hits leader Starlin Castro, plus Alfonso Soriano, Marlon Byrd, newcomer David DeJesus, Ryan Dempster, Matt Garza, Kerry Wood, Carlos Marmol, new manager Dale Sveum and the rest of the 2012 Chicago Cubs, has announced its Cubs telecast schedule and accompanying on-air network coverage and online coverage on CSNChicago.com.

The 2012 Cubs season on Comcast SportsNet includes 80 live regular season games with the first telecast taking place on Saturday, April 7 at 12 NOON as the Cubs host the Washington Nationals live from Wrigley Field, featuring the Cubs announcing tandem of Len Kasper and Bob Brenly on the call. Live coverage begins at 11:00 AM with an expanded LIVE REMOTE edition of Subaru Cubs Pre-Game Live from Wrigley Field featuring Comcast SportsNets Cubs studio duo of David Kaplan and Todd Hollandsworth. The game will be immediately followed by an expanded edition of Cubs Post Game Live, also live from Wrigley Field.

Beginning this season, Cubs fans can look forward to even more editions of Subaru Cubs Pre-Game Live as the pre-game show will now include half-hour airings prior to every 7:00 PM game telecast. Select airings of Cubs Pre-Game Live will also take place from around the Wrigleyville area this season.

Game enhancements of note for the 2012 Cubs season include the return of CSNs popular super slo-mo technology entitled The Look, an HD technology that is capable of showing slow-motion replays of over 2,000 frames per second. In addition, fans can look forward to Pitch Trax in all games this season, which animates the precise pitch location throughout the game in a variety of angles, plus CSN will incorporate a Telestrator into select game telecasts this season, detailing key plays, defensive field formations and much more.

In addition to the 80 regular season games, Comcast SportsNet will also air a pair of live Cubs spring training telecasts beginning with a match-up against the two-time defending AL champion Texas Rangers on Thursday, March 22 at 3:00 PM live from Surprise Stadium in Surprise, AZ. The other spring training telecast will air on Saturday, March 31 at 3:00 PM, as the Cubs host the LA Angels from HoHoKam Park in Mesa, AZ.

Among the 2012 Cubs regular season schedule highlights on Comcast SportsNet include the first game of the Cubs highly-anticipated home series against the Boston Red Sox (Fri, June 15). Other key games on CSNs schedule this season include seven contests against the NL Central rivaldefending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals, including the first home game on Mon, Apr. 23; the first road game vs. Carlos Zambrano, Mark Buehrle, manager Ozzie Guillen and the Miami Marlins on Tue, Apr. 17 (CSN will also air the first home game vs. Miami on July 17), plus two interleague battles against Prince Fielder and the defending AL Central champion Detroit Tigers (June 12 &amp; 14) and numerous NL Central battles against division rivals Milwaukee (8 games) and Cincinnati (9 games). Also, Comcast SportsNet will carry five of the six Cubs-White Sox Crosstown Classic interleague games this year. NOTE: the May 18 &amp; June 19 Crosstown games will be Cubs telecasts on Comcast SportsNet, while the May 18, June 18 &amp; 20 games will be White Sox telecasts.

For the eighth-straight season, the announcing tandem of Len Kasper and Bob Brenly return to provide the play-by-play and game analysis for every Cubs game this season on Comcast SportsNet. Plus, Comcast SportsNets David Kaplan will be joined by former Cubs &amp; MLB standoutstudio analyst Todd Hollandsworth before and after the majority of Comcast SportsNet Cubs telecasts on Subaru Cubs Pre-Game Live and Cubs Post Game Live.

From an online perspective, Comcast SportsNets website, CSNChicago.com, delivers comprehensive 247 Cubs coverage all season long, including the following highlights:

Live stream of manager Dale Sveums postgame press conferences
Cubs Insider Patrick Mooney (@CSNMooney) will attend home and away games, filing daily stories and video, as well as up-to-the-minute news via Twitter, to bring fans closer to the team. He will also make appearances on Subaru Cubs Pre-Game Live, Chicago Tribune Live and SportsNet Central throughout the season.
New-look Cubs team page offers the latest news, articles, player interviews, video, stats and more around the clock.
Cubs Talk will offer news, views and analysis from Cubs blogger Tony Andracki, Mooney, Cubs PrePost Game Live host David Kaplan (@thekapman) and Cubs analyst Todd Hollandsworth.
Weekly series preview video presented by BMO Harris

For the fifth-straight season, Comcast SportsNet will produce every Cubs regular season home and road game in a high-definition (HD) format. HD games can be found on Comcast Cable channel 200 (channel 285 for CSN HD telecasts), RCN channel 685, WOW channel 220, Dish Network channel 429 and DIRECTV HD channel 665-1 (channel 666-1 for CSN HD telecasts). Viewers who do not own an HDTV will still be able to watch all Cubs games in the standard analog format on Comcast Cable channel 37, DIRECTV channel 665 and DISH Network channel 429. Viewers can visit CSNChicago.com for the exact channel number in their area.

Before the majority of Cubs games on Comcast SportsNet (including prior to all 7:00 PM game telecasts this season), fans can tune to Subaru Cubs Pre-Game Live featuring a half-hour of pre-game analysis, interviews and the very latest Cubs news (NOTE: for 6:00 PM game start times, pre-game coverage can be found Chicago Tribune Live presented by Captain Morgan). Following the game, viewers can look forward to the most comprehensive post-game wrap-up show on Cubs Post Game Live featuring live coverage of new Cubs manager Dale Sveums post-game press conferences and live locker room interviews with Cubs players. Following primetime editions of Cubs Post Game Live, Comcast SportsNet will air GMC SportsNet Central with the most complete recap of the days top local and national sports news.

Eight regular season Cubs games are currently scheduled to be telecast on Comcast SportsNet Plus (see attached schedule). Comcast SportsNet Plus (CSN) telecasts are provided to Comcast SportsNet affiliates and distributed to viewers when two live events are scheduled simultaneously. Comcast Cable and RCN subscribers can watch all CSN games on CLTV. Cable and satellite operators who do not carry CLTV will place CSN telecasts on a to-be-determined channel. Viewers can visit CSNChicago.com for the exact channel location of Comcast SportsNet, CSN, Comcast SportsNet HD and CSN HD telecasts in their area.

SportsTalk Live Podcast: Toews still out, Bulls pull out win over Spurs

SportsTalk Live Podcast: Toews still out, Bulls pull out win over Spurs

Latest White Sox Talk

At one point, it was looking like Lucas Giolito could be headed to the White Sox in exchange for Chris Sale.

But when Sale was dealt to the Boston Red Sox, Giolito's name was in the clear of rumors — until 29 hours later, when the Nationals' top prospect would be headed to Chicago in a different trade, which sent outfielder Adam Eaton to Washington.

“It’s kind of like the world we live in now. Social media is always out there and everything is on Twitter,” Giolito said in a conference call Friday. “I saw my name being mentioned on Twitter for Chris Sale. I know with the winter meetings all sorts of stuff being thrown around. I was just trying to focus on what I’m doing in this offseason which is lifting and all my workouts. Kind of just whatever happens, happens.

“It’s funny that Sale ended up going to the Red Sox and something else happens that I’m going to the White Sox now with a couple teammates. It’s really interesting stuff but I’m super excited.”

In addition, the White Sox received Reynaldo Lopez — who Giolito has played with since 2014 — and the Nationals' 2016 first-round pick Dane Dunning.

"I definitely think it’s amazing to be coming over to the White Sox with a bunch of young talent," Giolito said. "I think it’s a great opportunity for us to all develop and get better and hopefully put a really good team together in Chicago. Definitely excited to be coming over with a couple guys from my previous organization."

Giolito went 6-5 with a 2.97 ERA and 1.28 WHIP across three minor-league levels this past season. He admitted his mechanics weren't quite in sync and is looking to improve on that.

"Sometimes things get out of whack. I believe I let too much get out of whack last year," Giolito said. "So this year with my training program I have in this offseason — lifting and Pilates and everything — I’m just trying to make sure that I can stay as athletic as possible so I’m able to repeat the right delivery more often. Once I start playing catch and doing bullpens and everything these next few weeks, right before spring training, I’m going to make sure I put that all together so I can repeat my delivery as best as possible."

His struggles continued when he got to The Show.

In his major-league debut on June 28, Giolito held the New York Mets to just one hit over four scoreless innings before a rain delay cut his night short. That turned out to be his most effective outing of the season as he finished the year with an 0-1 record, 6.75 ERA and 1.78 WHIP in six games with the Nationals, four of them being starts.

"(My MLB debut) didn’t go as well as I would’ve liked it to go, obviously, as you look at the numbers and everything," he said, "but I feel that with the White Sox now (and) getting traded and everything, it’s kind of like a fresh opportunity and a new start to get up to the big leagues again and contribute and do everything I can to stay there as well."

Despite his low numbers, the 22-year-old Giolito believes he's ready to play on the White Sox main roster as soon as next season.

"I’ve had some experience in the big leagues last year," Giolito said. "Especially last year, I took a lot positives away because I did experience such a good amount of failure in a lot of I’d say like hardship when I made it up and didn’t perform up to what I believe is my best capabilities.

"I’ve pitched a good amount of innings in the minor leagues and I’ve had a little experience in the big leagues so I’m just really looking forward to making it up in the big leagues with the White Sox and contributing as soon as possible."